She’s a professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University, and advocates for consumer rights. She’s also a prolific author: books, monthly columns, and her famous blog (Food Politics).

In response to a question about how we can wade our way through what seems to be an ever-changing landscape of nutritional data, Nestle offers this advice:

“The best answer I can give to that question is to stand back and look at the big picture: basic dietary advice hasn’t changed in 60 years and whatever the latest study says is unlikely to change that advice. This is to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, don’t eat more food than you need to maintain weight, and don’t eat too much junk food. Really, that takes care of it. Most studies deal with single nutrients or foods and are invariably misleading because that’s not how people eat. We eat many different foods each day and it’s the overall combination that counts.”

You can access the full interview here. Dr. Marion Nestle, a UC Berkeley alumna, has a visiting appointment this spring with the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and is affiliated with the Berkeley Food Institute.

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Published

March 6, 2015 at 11:57 am

by Rose Hayden-Smith

About the Author

Rose Hayden-Smith, PhD, is a UC academic and author, writing as the UC Food Observer. Hayden-Smith has worked as a 4-H youth, family and community development and Master Gardener advisor. She also led UC ANR’s sustainable food systems initiative. A trained U.S. historian, her research focuses on food policy, and the role of gardens in community food security.